The Clacton byelection: 13 August 2026

Just in: the result of the political non-contest of the year, the Clacton byelection. As expected, Farage got more votes than anywhere else. His total of 22,239 was slightly up on the 2024 general election where he received 21,225. His percentage of the vote share rose from 46% to 63%. No doubt he will claim this as vindication of his decision to stand down and force a byelection. The people of Clacton have stuck two fingers up at the Establishment.

On closer analysis, it's not quite so good. None of the other main parties fielded a candidate. Farage simply outscored each one of the 33 fringe candidates standing against him. And although the Reform vote in Clacton was solid, that doesn't mean the party would do so well anywhere else in a general election. Voters have worked out the right tactical way to stop Reform. And Farage himself was much more the Establishment candidate than anyone else taking part.

The real hero of this campaign was the comedian standing as Count Binface. He came second with 9,455 votes and a 27% share of the vote. His previous best ever was just 1% of the vote. His policy platform was credible and as an MP he would have done much more for the people of Clacton than Farage has ever done. For example, Farage has been an absentee MP since the 2024 election and has held no constituency surgeries. He does not represent anyone except himself.

The remaining 32 candidates received about 3,700 votes in total. No one received more than 500 votes. It was cheering that the best-performing candidate among these also-rans, with 492 votes, was standing for the Rejoin EU party. Amen to that. All 32 candidates received less than 5% of the vote, thereby losing their deposit of around £500.

Finally, Farage did not himself attend the declaration. Possibly the first winning candidate ever not to turn up. Reform said that Farage had been warned by the police of a credible security threat if he turned up. However, Essex Police said they had not advised any candidate to stay away. These statements can't both be true. Who do you believe? I know who I believe.